The Officer vs the Journalist
by Empress Charla
Summary: James Hiller and the Marquis de Lafayette find out what it's like to be in each other's shoes for a week.
1. The Commencement

Author's note: all of the Liberty's Kids characters belong to DIC, but General Adam Stuart and Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Reinfield are all mine! Bwa ha ha ha ha! :-D I hope you'll enjoy this!

* * *

Chapter 1 - The Commencement

"Where are all of you off to in such a hurry?" Dr. Ben Franklin asked as James and Henri hurriedly stuffed some papers into a knapsack.

Sarah was calmly packing her knapsack. "Actually, James and Henri are the only ones in a hurry," she remarked, making sure that she had enough ink in her bottle.

"You're right", Dr. Franklin said with a chuckle.

"I need to hurry!" James said, a bit out of breath. "General Washington is one of the busiest people in America, and I want to catch him before he gets called away on some important business!"

Moses was polishing the printing press with an old cloth that was smudged with ink stains. "You'll be interviewing the General?" he asked.

"I'm going to interview not only General Washington, but some of his officers as well!" James was saying excitedly. "It's going to be this week's biggest headline!" He finished packing his supplies into the knapsack, stood up, and slung the knapsack onto his shoulder.

Henri was excited, too. "Me, too! Me, too!" He exclaimed. "I'm going to interview Gilbert!" With his French accent, he pronounced Gilbert as Zho-BER.

"Who's he?" James asked, looking puzzled.

"He means General Marquis de Lafayette," Sarah answered. "He wants Henri to call him that."

"Oh yeah, him!" James said with a grin, which quickly left his face. "Sure, you can interview him, Henri, but I'll be the one to ask him the important questions. You're only an apprentice, and I'm the journalist." He ruffled Henri's hair in a condescending manner.

Henri frowned. "Let's see who will get to him first!" he yelled, grabbing the knapsack off of James' shoulder and running out the door with it.

"Henri! Come back here!" James ran out of the print shop doorway.

Sarah, Dr. Franklin, and Moses were laughing.

"James often forgets that he's still my apprentice, and not yet a full fledged journalist," Dr. Franklin said after the laughter died down.

"He certainly acts like an immature official journalist," said Sarah, shaking her head with an amused smile. She picked up her knapsack from a table near the fireplace. "I'll see you and Moses later. I need to keep an eye on Henri."

"You'll probably have to keep an eye on James, too," Moses put in. That brought on another round of laughter inside the print shop.

Henri made it to the American army camp first. He stopped at the edge of the camp to catch his breath. James caught up with him a few seconds later.

"Give me that!" He reached out to snatch the knapsack from Henri, who dodged him and ran off into the camp. "Henri!" James yelled, his voice brimming with annoyance. He could hear Henri giggling in the distance.

James went over to the middle of the camp, and stood there looking around for Henri.

The camp was mildly busy today. One soldier was stirring something in a pot over an open fire. The delicious smell of stew wafted through the air. A group of soldiers were laughing and talking, playing cards. A couple of soldiers were sleeping on hammocks tied to trees.

James suddenly spotted a tent flap rustling nearby in front of him. Perhaps Henri was hiding in there. James darted inside the tent.

A young officer was inside, seated behind a desk, writing something. James had met him before. The officer was Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Hamilton, an aide-de-camp of General Washington's. He had bluish violet eyes, chestnut hair, was somewhat short in height, and had a skinny build. Hamilton was a good friend of James.

"Hello, Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton! Did a young boy run inside here? He has dark hair, a blue shirt, and if you've heard him speak, he has a French accent," James said to the officer.

Hamilton looked up. His lips were pursed, as if he was suppressing a laugh. "Why, hello, Mr. Hiller! Sorry, I do not know who you are speaking of."

"All right… sorry to bother you." James had a suspicion that Hamilton was hiding something. "Do you know where General Washington is?"

"He should be in the big cabin. It's on your right side once you leave the tent," said Hamilton, who dipped his quill into an inkwell.

"Thank you." A mischievous glint came into James' eyes. "Oh, and do you happen to know where the Marquis de Lafayette is at? I've got quite a BIG story planned for him." James put a hand to his mouth to keep from laughing.

"Ahhhhhh!" A high pitched shriek came from under the desk.

Henri scrambled to get up on his feet. "I'm the one who will be interviewing him! Remember?" he insisted. He was jumping up and down in excitement.

James laughed. "I know, I know. Keep quiet. I only said that to get you out of your hiding place."

"Awwww, no fair!" Henri was disappointed that James had found him.

Hamilton could not hold back his laughter anymore. "Actually, I knew that the boy was in here all along. He told me not to tell you where he was," he admitted.

James had to smile. "That's okay."

Hamilton stood up from his seat. "How are you, Mr. Hiller? And how are your friends at the print shop doing?" Hamilton held out his hand.

"I'm doing well, thanks. Everyone's doing fine over at the Pennsylvania Gazette office." James shook hands with him. "Dr. Franklin is putting in a new column in the newspaper, called 'Ask Mr. Common Sense.' People will send letters asking Dr. Franklin for advice, and he'll answer them with his witty words of wisdom."

Hamilton grinned with delight. "Oh, how clever! Has he gotten many letters?"

"Yesterday we got 17– "James began to say.

Henri interrupted. "Excusez-moi, but aren't we supposed to be interviewing the officers right now?"

"Well, I suppose you're right…" James agreed halfheartedly.

"Who's the expert journalist now?" Henri crowed, tilting his chin up, trying to look superior.

"Okay, okay, let's go." James said, sounding irritated. He pushed Henri out of the tent. "I'll see you later, Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton," James told Hamilton.

"Definitely, Mr. Hiller! I look forward to conversing with you further. You may call me Alex or Hammy… most of my friends do. My title is too long," Hamilton said, clearing his throat to stifle a laugh.

"Sure," James replied. "You can call me James. Mr. Hiller is too long a title for me."

Hamilton had to laugh at that. "It's only half as long as my title," he pointed out.

James silently counted out the syllables of Hamilton's title. "You're right, but still… call me James. Oh, except when I'm in the presence of General Washington. I want to look like a professional in front of him." James straightened his coat and patted his hair.

Hamilton smiled and nodded. "Yes, impressions are everything," he said. "Good luck with your interview," he added.

"Thanks," James said. "Would it be possible to schedule an interview with you, too? That is, if you're not busy today." James stared at the pile of papers on the desk.

"Of course it's possible. I wasn't chosen as Washington's aide-de-camp for nothing. I can finish writing all of these letters before you can finish interviewing both Washington and Lafayette."

"You know, I bet you could," said James. He looked impressed. He definitely wanted to interview Hamilton, too. Hamilton was interesting to talk to.

"And just so you know, Lafayette wants to be called Laffy. His full name is almost two times as long as my title." Hamilton pretended to grimace.

"Thanks! I want to get on his good side." James smirked.

"You don't have to worry about that. He's really friendly," Hamilton told him. "That's one of the reasons why we're best friends."

James opened his mouth to reply, but Henri came back inside the tent.

"Zhames! You're a slowpoke! While you've been talking all this time, I got to interview Zhober first!" Henri danced around happily.

James growled. He lunged at Henri, who was too fast once again. Henri ran out of the tent, laughing playfully.

Hamilton smiled sympathetically at James. "You'd better go on over to General Washington's meeting house. As I said before, it's over on your right side once you exit the tent."

"Thanks," James muttered. Henri could be downright annoying sometimes. James hoped that General Washington would be available for the interview.

Once inside the meetinghouse, James saw that not only General Washington was in there, but also Lafayette, and two other recognizable officers, but he didn't know their names.

General Washington smiled warmly when he saw James. "James, it's good to see you," he greeted him.

"Hello, General Washington!" James bowed out of respect for the General.

Lafayette was happy to see him, too. "Zhames! We meet again!" he said, grinning widely. He ran up to James and gave him a friendly hug.

"Good to see you, Laffy!" James said.

Lafayette laughed. "I see that my good friend, Hammy, told you about my nickname!"

"He did, indeed," James said with a smile. "I heard that Henri already interviewed you," he added, trying not to pout.

Lafayette laughed again. "He did, but I still have time for you to interview me, Zhames!" he answered good-naturedly.

James let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. I'd like to interview General Washington first, though. I'm sure he's really busy, so it would be best to have his interview first."

Washington overheard what James said. "You're right, my boy, I am quite busy," he said apologetically. "You may interview Lafayette first. If you need more interviewees, you may also interview my bodyguards." He looked over at the two officers standing by his side. "Stuart, Reinfield, this is Mr. James Hiller, a journalist of Dr. Franklin's who works for the Pennsylvania Gazette." Washington looked at James. "James, these are my bodyguards, General Adam Stuart," he gestured to a young, dark haired officer who had a light complexion, "and Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Reinfield," he said, gesturing to another young officer who had blonde hair and light tan skin.

"It's truly a pleasure to meet you," Stuart said, shaking hands with James. "Do you wish to be called Mr. Hiller, or James?"

"James, please", James replied.

"Then you may call me Adam, and you may call him Arthur," Stuart said, tapping Lieutenant Colonel Reinfield lightly on the shoulder.

Arthur nodded in agreement.

James smiled. "Aren't you supposed to tell me to call you Addy, and Arthur should be called Arty?"

Adam and Arthur gave each other amused looks. They looked back at James.

"We never grew to like those names," Adam finally said.

"And don't even consider calling me Washy!" Washington said unexpectedly.

Everyone burst into laughter, including General Washington.

"I have to go now, James," Washington said, "but you may interview me this afternoon at 4:30. Is that all right with you?" He took a look at his pocket watch.

"Sure, General Washington, that's fine with me," James answered. He was eager to interview the General now, but at least he would get to do it later. James decided to start with Lafayette. He doubted that Henri had done a proper, thorough interview with Lafayette.

Once Washington, Adam, and Arthur had left, James started the interview. He and Lafayette were seated on some chairs by the big meeting table.

"So, Laffy," James began, his quill pen poised in front of a sheet of paper, "What is it like being an officer? It must be an easy life, isn't it?"

Lafayette laughed, but when he spoke, his voice was completely serious. "Oh, no, it is not easy. It's the hardest job in the army, besides Zheneral Wazhington's position." Lafayette leaned forward in his chair. "There is so much pressure to make the right decisions… and there's the unwanted publicity… the rules… the events to attend… it makes me feel dizzy, literally." Lafayette gave his head a quick shake.

"Wait a minute wait a minute wait a minute!" James interrupted, his words running together. "You're saying that being an officer is hard? What a joke!" James had to laugh. "Being an officer is easy. You get to party, socialize with all the superior people, look good in the eyes of the public, be a war hero…" he was counting off the fingers on one hand. "Being a journalist… now that's a hard job."

Now it was Lafayette's turn to laugh skeptically. "Zhames, you have no idea what you're saying. Being a journalist is nothing compared to the trials that we officers have to face."

"What trials? And what do you mean being a journalist is nothing?!" James raised his voice.

"I didn't mean it that way," Lafayette started to say, until James cut him off.

"It's hard for journalists to do their job. Do you know how much work goes into getting a good story? We journalists never get enough credit."

"Well, I for one believe that officers do not get credit for what matters. The public views us in a superficial way."

"Officers are brimming with credit! What more credit do you want?" James' quill pen fluttered to the floor, but he did not notice it. "Compared to journalists, being an officer is nothing!"

"You have no idea!" Lafayette shouted. He abruptly stood up from his chair.

James stood up, too. "I should say the same for you, Marquis!"

They stood there for a few moments, fuming, with their faces inches apart.

"You think that being a journalist is hard? I'd like to see you try," James challenged him, breaking the silence.

"You know what? I will!" Lafayette exclaimed.

James blinked in surprise. "You will? Really?"

"Yes! And you will try being an officer." Lafayette challenged him in return.

James realized what was happening. "Marquis, I'll take you up on that offer. I'll be an officer for a week, and you'll be a journalist for a week. Deal? We'll see who wins." James had a smug grin.

"Deal!" Lafayette agreed eagerly.

Lafayette and James shook hands to seal the bet.

"When do we start?" James asked.

"Right now," Lafayette replied.

"But what about my important interview with Washington?" James remembered.

"All taken care of," Lafayette told him. "I spoke with your friend, Zerah, earlier today, and she will be interviewing Zheneral Wazhington this afternoon."

"Oh, all right," James said, sounding disappointed. "Not only did Henri beat me to interviewing you, but Sarah will beat me to interviewing General Washington!"

"Unless you want to call off the deal," Lafayette suggested, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.

"Of course not! I have to prove you wrong!" James said, feeling aggressive.

"Let's see about that," said Lafayette. Disbelief was heard in his voice.

Lafayette and James stared at each other again, eyes narrowed, and then they both stormed out of the meetinghouse.


	2. Day One: James

Author's Note: Thanks so much for the reviews! They were helpful, and I appreciate the encouragement. :-) One of you suggested that I should make Lafayette talk in an accent. I'm not so good at French accents, but I think it's a good idea, so I've made Lafayette say people's names with his French accent (like Zhames instead of James). Thanks to everyone who patiently waited for this chapter. I hope you will enjoy it. :-)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Officer vs. the Journalist, Chapter 2 – Day 1 - James

General Washington stood in front of James and Lafayette, silently staring at them. Although he was not speaking, the look on General Washington's face showed that he was not pleased.

"What on earth?" the General finally said. "Did I just hear you say that James is going to take your place as an officer for a week, Lafayette?"

Lafayette nodded, and then gulped. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. James was squirming a little beside him.

Washington was glaring at them… not a good sign. "What are you thinking of, Lafayette?! This is the army! We can't afford to play games like this!"

Lafayette opened his mouth to speak, but James spoke up first.

"With all due respect, Sir, Lafayette and I feel that this will be an invaluable learning experience for both of us."

Lafayette covered his mouth to hide a smile. "Yes, Zheneral Wazhington, and a break from my officer duties would be much appreciated. I feel that I've been quite overworked lately," Lafayette said.

James was about to say that journalists were overworked, too, but decided not to. He didn't want to jeopardize their chances of being allowed to have the bet.

"I promise that I'll return to the army if any trouble happens," Lafayette added. "I would never desert our army during battle, and I want to make sure that Zhames will stay safe."

Washington was silent for a while again, obviously thinking things over.

James and Lafayette held their breath.

"All right", Washington grudgingly agreed. "Remember, at the first sign of danger, you will return to the army immediately," he said firmly.

"You have my word," Lafayette promised.

Washington nodded once. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have an interview to attend to." He smiled knowingly at James before leaving.

James' heart sank. It should have been him doing the interview, not Sarah. James squared his shoulders and held his head up proudly. He had to stay strong… there would be other opportunities to interview the General. It would be interesting to try being an army officer, and it would feel great to prove Lafayette wrong.

Lafayette started walking over to his tent, motioning for James to follow him. Not quite knowing what to expect, James followed his lead.

When they were inside Lafayette's tent, Lafayette removed his officer uniform, and put on some ordinary looking breeches, a shirt, a vest, and a coat. He rummaged around in his wooden trunk and took out an extra officer uniform. He tossed it at James, who almost dropped it.

"Here, Zhames!" Lafayette exclaimed. "This is one of my spare uniforms. Perhaps it will fit you. I am not tall, and you're about the same height as I am."

"Thanks," James said, trying on the uniform. The sleeves were a little long for him, but otherwise it was a perfect fit. "Um, you can take my journalist bag," James said, handing his brown knapsack to Lafayette. "It has all the supplies you'll need for getting a great story, and if you run out of ink or something, just ask Moses for some fresh supplies."

"Merci," Lafayette said gratefully. He put the strap of the knapsack on his shoulder. "Well, I suppose this is where we'll part ways."

"Yes, I suppose so…" said James."…and may the best man win."

"Oui! Good luck Zhames!" "Same to you, Marquis." It was strange, but James was feeling both antagonistic and friendly at the same time, and he somehow felt that Lafayette must be feeling the same way.

Lafayette exited the tent, and James followed. He began to make his way out of the camp, trailing behind Lafayette, but James suddenly stopped in his tracks and started laughing.

"That's funny… I was about to walk back to the Pennsylvania Gazette office," he said aloud to himself. "Maybe I should show Lafayette the way… what if he gets lost?" James muttered, beginning to feel nervous about staying in the army camp in place of Lafayette. "Nah, it's all going to be okay. He's the journalist now… he'll find his own way." James pivoted and started going back in the direction that he had come from.

Feeling unsure what to do next, he spotted Alexander Hamilton a couple yards away. _Hammy can tell me what I should be doing next_, James thought. He smiled at Hamilton and waved at him.

Hamilton took one look at him, and his eyes widened, his jaw dropped, and he let go of all of the papers that he had been holding. The papers flew off in different directions, being carried by the wind.

Hamilton suddenly came back to his senses. "Don't just stand there!" he yelled at James. "Help me!" Hamilton looked terrified.

James guessed that those papers must have been very important. He immediately began to help pick them up.

"What are you doing wearing an officers uniform?! Last that I heard, this was an army, not a dress up masquerade ball," Hamilton said as he caught some papers that were in midair. He was shocked to see James wearing a uniform.

James bit his lip, and bent down to pick up a couple of papers in front of him. Why was Hamilton acting so snooty all of a sudden? James had always thought of him as a nice person.

"Lafayette and I made a bet," James said after he took a deep breath. "I'm taking his place as an officer for a week, and he's going to take my place as a journalist in the Pennsylvania Gazette office while I'm here. We received the General's permission."

Hamilton said nothing, but a frown was on his face. He didn't look happy to hear what James had told him. "I can't believe the General would allow this," Hamilton muttered to himself after a minute. "You're not even the same rank as Lafayette!" he said, louder this time. "If you want to be in this army, you should be a private or something! You know next to nothing about being an officer! What are you going to do about that?!"

James ran off to rescue some papers that were about to land in a nearby lake so he wouldn't have to answer Hamilton. Being an officer was already harder than James had thought. He wouldn't admit that to Lafayette, of course… he was out to prove Laffy wrong. James wasn't expecting any antagonism to come from a fellow officer. He really hoped that the other officers were more kind and understanding.

Now that James had a pile of papers in his hands, he wasn't sure what to do with them. He wasn't in the mood to go back to Hamilton, who surely had more unpleasant comments for him. James decided to put the papers in Hamilton's tent, but he suddenly couldn't remember where Hamilton's tent was. James began wandering around the camp, feeling lost, until he spotted the meeting house. He really hoped that some officers were in there, so he could ask for directions.

James entered the meeting house, and was surprised to see General Adam Stuart and a bunch of other officers playing a rowdy game of cards. James watched as Adam put down his cards on the table face up, revealing four aces. The other officers' eyes widened, gasping collectively.

"I hate you, Stuart! I really do!" one officer shouted at him.

Adam said nothing. He was laughing too much.

After the officers pushed their piles of money to Adam, they started the game again. Adam was expertly shuffling the cards like a magician.

"Uh, excuse me," James interrupted them. Adam almost dropped the cards. "Oh!" he said in relief. "Please don't do that next time. I thought you were General Washington." He grinned.

"You're not supposed to be playing cards?" James asked.

"Yes, we aren't supposed to be doing this. General Washington despises gambling," Adam answered.

"But technically we're not gambling," another officer piped up. "Sure we're using money now, but we return it back to each other after we're done."

James smirked. Maybe being an officer wasn't all that hard… it sure looked like fun.

"So what can I do for you, James?" Adam wanted to know.

"Where's Hamilton's tent?" James asked.

"It's to the left of this meeting house," Adam replied.

James stepped out the doorway. He wasn't sure which tent it was. Was it that one, or…

Adam noticed James' confusion. He stepped outside as well, still holding the deck of cards in his hand. "It's that one right there," Adam told James. "Right next to that boul-"

Somebody hit Adam from behind, knocking him to the ground. Adam's deck of cards began to fly in the air like carefree little birds. The other officers ran out of the meeting house and helped Adam get to his feet.

"Are you all right?" one of them asked.

Adam looked really scared. It reminded James of the look on Hamilton's face earlier.

"We must get those cards back!" Adam said frantically. "If General Washington sees those cards floating around, we will surely be-"

"Dead!" one officer exclaimed, his face turning white.

Adam and the three other officers shot off in different directions.

James felt like he was experiencing déjà vu. He wasn't sure if he should help out the officers or not. Finally he decided to put the papers back in Hamilton's tent, and talk to another officer who could tell him what to do.

James suddenly realized that Adam and the other officers had not noticed him wearing a uniform. He found it strange that it would go unnoticed.

Over in the near distance, General Knox, a general whom James knew well, spotted James and walked over to him.

"Why, hello, James!" General Knox greeted him. He was a chubby, middle aged man who had a cheerful personality.

"General Knox, it's good to see you again!" James said, relieved to be with someone friendly.

"What do you think about staying in the army so far?" General Knox asked curiously.

James was astonished. How had General Knox known?

General Knox could read the look on James' face. "Why, Son, everyone knows that you're part of the army now. Well, temporarily, I mean." He smiled warmly. "It's common knowledge. Word spreads fast here in the army. I know about the bet between you and the Marquis de Lafayette, I know that Lt. Col. Hamilton lost some of Washington's correspondence, and I know that General Stuart and three other officers were illegally playing cards in the meetinghouse." General Knox paused only to take a breath. "You and Lafayette will learn an important lesson in all of this, Hamilton has to rewrite half of those papers that he wrote, and I would have turned in General Stuart, but I'm using the gambling incident for blackmail against him as needed." General Knox finally stopped, breaking into a grin.

James had forgotten how much General Knox loved to talk.

"General Knox," James began, "now that I'm here in the army, what should I be doing? I feel kind of lost. Am I supposed to be doing drills, or…" James gulped. "…chores?"

General Knox laughed. "You're still a new soldier, even if you do have the title of general. You should get started in training. I'll call Lt. Col. Reinfield to assist you in your training."

James felt relieved that finally he'd be doing something important. "Thanks, General Knox."

"Anytime, Son! Anytime!" General Knox waved at James and then left.

Within a few minutes, Lt. Col. Arthur Reinfield approached James.

James couldn't read his expression… was it boredom? Indifference? Annoyance?

Arthur handed James a rifle. James swallowed. He had held a gun before, but to tell the truth, he had never fired one. His father had died when James was a baby, so James hadn't had the opportunity to learn from his father.

During the next hour, Arthur patiently showed James how to load the rifle with a bullet and powder, how to hold the gun correctly, and how to fire it correctly. It took a couple of tries, but James got the hang of it. His shots weren't completely accurate, but at least they were within range of the targets.

Arthur was the opposite of General Henry Knox. Arthur only talked when necessary. His best way to teach James was by showing him what to do. James actually did not mind this… it was better than talking to someone who spewed off rude remarks, like Hamilton. Actually, Hamilton wasn't being that mean, but James was still feeling a little hurt about what Hamilton had said.

By the time James shook off the thoughts from his mind, Arthur was telling him that the shooting practice was over.

They then moved on to horseback riding, which, thankfully, James was good at. He had learned how to ride a horse when he was younger. That part passed by uneventfully. In fact, it was very pleasurable. James loved the feel of the wind on his face, and felt deep respect for the power and majesty that the horse possessed. It felt exhilarating to ride on such a confident horse. James promised himself that he would give the horse a suitable name.

By the time Arthur finished giving him fencing and strength training swimming lessons, James felt absolutely exhausted. He knew that being an officer was a lot of work, but he didn't expect it to be this tiring. James couldn't wait to get to bed and take a hard earned rest.

James was still in the water after his swimming lesson, but he was just trying to get his body to relax. He lazily floated on the top of the water.

Arthur got out of the water, being careful not to splash water on James. "If you want to take a bath now, here," Arthur said, tossing a bar of soap at James. He turned to leave.

"This is convenient. Thanks!" James said gratefully.

James quickly cleaned himself, enjoying the cool water. With water in his eyes, James reached his hand out to the bank, groping around for his clothes. Nothing. James wiped the water out of his eyes, and looked around the perimeter of the lake. Where were his clothes? They were gone.

With chagrin and anger, James realized that someone must have taken his clothes. Of course it was Hamilton who had done it. James was sure of it. "The old 'stealing the clothes trick'", James said through his teeth, beginning to seethe with anger.

James wasn't sure what to do now… it would be an embarrassment to go marching around in his undershorts. James didn't want to make a fool out of himself.

"I'll stay in here until my clothes get returned," James decided, but he knew that was a slim chance.

In a few hours the sky was dark, and stars sprinkled the night sky. James could see an open fire in the distance. Officers and soldiers were gathered around the fire, roasting something on sticks. The food looked like meat.

James' stomach growled. He hadn't realized until now that he was hungry. James' irritation grew higher. He watched enviously as a soldier tore into a fresh hunk of bread. He never thought in his entire life that he would envy a person who was eating a mere piece of bread. The smell of the delicious meat wafted its way to the lake. James could hardly stand it.

Just as he was opening his mouth to shout at the soldiers, he saw a shadowy figure step in front of him. In the moonlight he could make out the features of General Knox.

"General Knox!" James exclaimed with relief. He was suddenly at a lost for words. How could he explain to General Knox that he was stuck here in the water because someone had stolen –?

"Your clothes," General Knox said knowingly, as if he could hear what James was saying in his mind.

James' eyes widened in shock. His shock quickly changed into relief when he saw General Knox holding James' clothes.

"Thanks so much," James thanked him fervently, quickly taking the clothes.

General Knox smiled and nodded, and then went back to the camp fire.

Once James joined the others at the fire, he marched over to Hamilton. Hamilton looked up, smirking. This added fuel to the fire. James' anger began to rise higher.

"Why did you take my clothes?!" he shouted at Hamilton. He didn't care that the others were around.

There were some gasps and a couple of chuckles.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Hamilton said nonchalantly, turning his head away from James.

"Don't act all innocent!" James continued. "I know you did it!"

Hamilton frowned. "Are you accusing me of something that I did not do?"

"Yes, and you did do it. I want an apology here and now," James demanded.

Hamilton shook his head, looking disgusted. "Jumping to conclusions… what a child," Hamilton said, and got up to leave the camp fire.

James took that as an insult. "I am not a child! In case you forgot, I am a full fledged journalist of the Pennsylvania Gaz-"

James felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Arthur.

"Let it go," Arthur said.

James wanted to continue yelling, but he decided that Arthur was right. "I can't believe he won't confess to-" James couldn't help saying.

"James," General Knox interrupted, "Hammy didn't take your clothes."

James' thoughts were stopped in their tracks. "What are you saying?" he said in disbelief.

"I'm saying that Hammy isn't the culprit," General Knox reaffirmed.

James stared at General Knox, and then turned his head to look at Arthur. No, Arthur didn't seem like the type who would take them. But Adam was a likely candidate…

James glared at Adam. "Adam, it was you, wasn't it?"

Adam raised his eyebrows. "Oh… no, of course not. I was cooking pretty much all evening."

"I can vouch for him," one soldier spoke up, sounding serious.

James looked around wildly. Who else would–?

Suddenly James heard the sound of laughter. He whirled around to face General Knox, who was holding his stomach, laughing heartily.

"General Knox, do you know who did it?" James asked suspiciously.

"I'm sorry, Son!" General Knox said when he could catch his breath. "I did it… I wanted to know how you would react. Besides, things like this happen in the army. You have to be prepared." He winked at James.

James felt betrayed, but he couldn't stay mad at General Knox for very long. "Ha ha, very funny," James said sarcastically. He stomped away from the campfire.

He couldn't believe how irrational this army was. He didn't want to go through another day like this. Unfortunately, there were six more days to go through before the madness was over.

James felt his shoulders drooping, but suddenly he stood up straight and held his head high. He could survive… he could get through this… he had to… he had to prove Lafayette wrong.


End file.
